Horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard



Nov. 8, 1955 J. w. WILKINSON HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY FLOATABLE LIFEBOARD 7 Filed Aug. 26, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

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JAMES W. WILKINSON United States Patent )fiice Patented Nov. 8, 1,955

HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY FLOATABLE LIFEBOARD James W. Wilkinson, San Diego, Calif.

Application August 26, 1954, Serial No. 452,287

9 Claims. (Cl. 9-14) The present invention relates generally to lifesaving equipment and more particularly to a horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard.

Present lifesaving equipment provides ample means for holding persons afloat in water in the event of shipwreck, drowning, or other such occurrences. In such cases it is often difficult to lift persons from the water into rescue craft, or if near land, to pull the person to shore. The problem of lifting is particularly troublesome when rescuing a person from a swimming pool when that person must be raised onto the bank of the pool. It is therefore the purpose of this invention to provide means for lifting persons from the water with a minimum of effort, the means comprising a lifeboard having adjustable buoyancy so that it may be lowered into the water in a convenient position for a person to climb or be lifted aboard, after which devices on the lifeboard are operative so that the lifeboard with the rescued person is easily lifted from the water.

The primary object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a lifeboard which may be floated in an upright position in water to facilitate the placement thereon of a person, and may then be made more fully buoyant to float in a horizontal position to lift the person from the water.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lifeboard which is particularly adapted to facilitating the loading of persons aboard a rescue craft or onto land.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lifeboard having a sealed buoyancy chamber to ensure its flotation at all times, and having a further chamber which may be partially or completely filled with water to control the angle of flotation of the device, the water being flushed from the chamber to retain full buoyancy.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lifeboard which is adapted for fabrication from many different materials, so that the choice of material can be according to the dictates of availability and price considerations, the exact sizes and proportions being matters easily determined to suit particular conditions and needs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lifeboard which is inexpensive and practicable to manufacture.

Finally, it is an object to provide a lifeboard of the aforementioned character which is simple, safe and convenient to operate, and which will give generally eflicient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawing which forms a material part of this disclosure and wherein similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the lifeboard.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the lifeboard comprises a hollow shell 10 having a sealed buoyancy chamber 12 at one end, the remainder of said shell constituting a flotation chamber 14. The flotation chamber 14 is of elongated, generally rectangular form with considerable width, having a back panel 16, a front panel 18, side panels 20 and a lower end panel 22. The buoyancy chamber 12 comprises an extension 24 of the back panel 16, extensions 26 of the side panels 20 and an inclined front panel 28, the chamber being closed by an upper end panel 30. The buoyancy chamber 12 is separated from the flotation chamber 14 by an internal bulkhead 32, said buoyancy chamber being tapered so that at its upper end it is considerably deeper from front to rear than at the bulkhead 32. The entire shell 10 is preferably constructed of plastic or light weight sheet metal such as aluminum alloy.

At the lower end of the flotation chamber 14 is a forwardly extending footrest 34 securely fixed to the front panel 18. This footrest 34 is braced by hand rails 36 extending longitudinally along each side of the shell 10, said hand rails being secured at one end to said footrest and at the other end to the front panel 28. The hand rails 36 are spaced from the shell 10 and are supported by longitudinally spaced struts 38.

Operatively mounted on the inside of the lower end panel 22 is an inlet valve 40 comprising a housing 42 containing a valve seat 44, said end panel having perforations 46 communicating with the valve. A ball valve 48 rests in the valve seat 44 and is biased toward closed position by a spring 50 coaxially mounted on a rod 52 attached to the ball valve 48, the rod extending longitudinally through the shell 10. The rod 52 also passes through a vent tube 54 fixed in sealed relation between the bulkhead 32 and the upper end panel 30, and this rod is provided with a suitable handle 56 secured to the end thereof exteriorly of the buoyancy chamber 12. The end of the vent tube 54 is flared, as indicated at 58, to receive a cone plug 60 secured on the rod 52 adjacent the handle 56. Also secured to the inside of the lower end panel 22 is an outlet valve 62, comprising a housing 64 having therein a valve seat 66, and a free ball valve 68 in said valve seat. The lower end panel 22 has perforations 70 communicating with the outlet valve housing 64.

Built into one side of the buoyancy chamber 12 is a recessed compartment 72 to receive a cylinder 74 of compressed gas such as air or carbon dioxide. The cylinder 74 is provided with a hand actuated valve 76, which is readily accessible, and has at its lower end a nozzle 78 communicating with the interior of the flotation chamber 14. The cylinder 74 is held in place by suitable straps 80, which may be secured to the adjacent structure in any suitable manner, such as by riveting.

To facilitate lifting the device or suspending it from the side of a boat, a gunwale hook 82 is secured to the upper end of the back panel extension 24 by means of bolts 84. These bolts 84 pass through a spacer block 86 fitted transversely between the extension 24 and the front panel 28, as shown in Fig. 5, said spacer block being recessed, as indicated at 88, so that the material of said front panel may be dimpled into the recesses around said bolts, as at 90. The bolts 84 are retained by cone nuts 92 which fit tightly into the dimpled portions 90, forcing the same tightly into the recesses 88 and thus maintaining the seal of the buoyancy chamber 12.

The lifeboard is provided with a plurality of body encircling straps 94, which are attached to longitudinally spaced pairs of eyes 96 fixed on the front panel 18. These straps 94. which are shown fragmentarily, may be of any suitable type as dictated by safety requirements, many such straps being in present use in various types of lifesaving and rescue equipment. 1

The lifeboard is particularly suitable for lifting persons from the water into a boat, in which case the lifeboard is best suspended in the water with the hook 82 engaging the gunwale of the boat. In order to retain the lifeboard in an upright position, the handle 56 is lifted to open the inlet valve 40 and raise the cone plug 60. Water is thus allowed to enter the perforations 46 and fill the flotation chamber 14, the air therefrom escaping through the vent tube 54. The water filled flotation chamber 14 effectively ballasts the lifeboard in an upright position while the sealed buoyancy chamber 12 prevents it from sinking even when detached from the boat. A drowning or unconscious person is easily maneuvered into place on the footrest 34 and secured to the lifeboard by the straps 94, this operation being considerably simpler than attempting to lift the person onto a horizontally floating raft or the like. When the person is in place the valve 76 of the cylinder 74 is actuated so that the compressed gas entered the flotation chamber 14 through the nozzle 78 and flushes the water through the outlet valve 62. As the water is flushed, the lifeboard rises to a horizontal position due to the added buoyancy and, when the flotation chamber 14 is substantially emptied of water, external water pressure holds the outlet valve 62 closed and retains gas within the chamber substantially at atmospheric pressure. To ensure that valve 62 remains closed under normal operating conditions, a light retaining spring 98 is operatively fitted in this valve. In its horizontal position the lifeboard is easly floated to a convenient position to be lifted into a boat, the hand rails 36 providing convenient handling means.

The lifeboard is of great assistance to those carrying out the rescue by greatly simplifying the task of securing the victim to the board and by providing the rescuers with ample support during the operation. The hand rails 36 also offer convenient support for swimmers alongside the lifeboard. The lifeboard may also be used without the hook 82 when necessary and may be thrown into the water for immediate use, the sealed buoyancy chamber 12 ensuring its floating at all times.

With a person strapped in place the lifeboard can be floated for prolonged periods in upright or horizontal position as required. Upon removal from the water, the lifeboard may be utilized as a stretcher to eliminate the necessity for disturbing the victim unduly, an important feature in case of injury. In the latter instance the lifeboard is sufficiently rigid to permit its hoisting, such as aboard a large vessel or to a dock, with the rescued person in place, the hook 82 and hand rails 36 providing convenient attachment points for hoisting gear.

The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from a consideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the drawing and the above recited objects. It will be obvious that all said objects are amply achieved by this invention.

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. In combination in a horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, an elongated panel, an elongated flotation chamber in fixed relation to and extending along one end portion of the panel, means for admitting water to said flotation chamber so that said one end portion is more easily immersed andthe lifeboardrnore easily supported in vertical position in the water, and means for flushing the water from said chamber so that the lifeboard will then assume a more nearly horizontal position in the water.

2. In combination in a horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, an elongated panel, an elongated flotation chamber in fixed relation to and extending along one end portion of the panel, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber so that said one end portion is more easily immersed and the lifeboard more easily supported in vertical position in the water, for admitting water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve so that the lifeboard will then assume a more nearly horizontal position in the water.

3. A horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, comprising an elongated shell having a flotation chamber, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve, and a buoyancy chamber at one end of said shell, said buoyancy chamber being of greater cross-sectional area than said flotation chamber.

4. A horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, comprising an elongated shell having a floatation chamber, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve, and a buoyancy chamber at one end of said shell, said buoyancy chamber being of greater cross-sectional area than said flotation chamber, and an extended footrest fixed to the end of said shell remote from said buoyancy chamber.

5. A horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, comprising an elongated shell having a flotation chamber, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve, and a buoyancy chamber at one end of said shell, said buoyancy chamber being of greater cross-sectional area than said flotation chamber, and an extended footrest fixed to the end of said shell remote from said buoyancy chamber, hand rails extending longitudinally at the sides of said shell and spaced therefrom, said hand rails being terminally fixed to said footrest and said buoyancy chamber, and comprising bracing means therefor.

6. A horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, comprising an elongated shell having a flotation chamber, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve, and a buoyancy chamber at one end of said shell, said buoyancy chamber being of greater cross-sectional area than said flotation chamber, and an extended footrest fixed to the end of said shell remote from said buoyancy chamber, hand rails extending longitudinally at the sides of said shell and spaced therefrom, said hand rails being terminally fixed to said footrest and said buoyancy chamber, and comprising bracing means therefor, and a plurality of body encircling straps secured to said flotation chamber.

7. In combination in a horizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, an elongated panel, an elongated flotation chamber in fixed relation to and extending along one end portion of the panel, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting water thereto so that said one end portion is more easily immersed and the lifeboard more easily supported in vertical position in the water, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush Water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve so that the lifeboard will then assume a more nearly horizontal position in the water, a vent tube opening at the end of said lifeboard opposite to said end portion for venting said flotation chamber to atmosphere, a plug closing the end of said vent tube, said plug and said inlet valve being interconnected for simultaneous operation by said manual operable means. 8. Ahorizontally and vertically floatable lifeboard, comprising an elongated shell having a flotation chamber, a manually operable inlet valve in said flotation chamber for admitting Water thereto, an outlet valve in said flotation chamber, a compressed gas container communicating with said flotation chamber, and manually operable means for releasing gas therefrom to flush Water from the flotation chamber through said outlet valve, a vent tube connecting said flotation chamber to atmosphere, a plug closing the end of said vent tube, said plug and said inlet valve being interconnected to operate simultaneously, and a hook fixed to said buoyancy chamber for suspending the lifeboard from a support.

9. A lifeboard according to claim 2, wherein said shell has a recessed compartment therein open to the exterior, said compressed gas container being removably held in said compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 865,130 Ximenez Sept. 3, 1907 2,042,152 Howland May 26, 1936 2,173,388 Barcroft Sept. 19, 1939 2,223,625 Krupp Dec. 3, 1940 2,355,757 Spanel Aug. 15, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 781,887 France May 23, 1935 

